Sometimes it feels like a small, select group of people people have all the luck. And you might sit around and wonder why you aren’t one of them. However, keep in mind that “luck” is not always as it appears – there are things that go on behind the scenes that the rest of us don’t necessarily see. So here are seven characteristics you should adopt so can create your own luck, too:

1. You are an opportunity magnet.

If you are just sitting around hoping that opportunity will knock on your door, then you are not being an opportunity magnet. For example, if you want to meet Mr. or Ms. Right, you can’t just stay home every weekend and watch sad romantic movies by yourself. Instead, you should accept that co-worker’s invitation to go to happy hour with a group of friends. You never know – Mr./Ms. Right might be there. Or get yourself out on an internet dating site. However you do it, you need to keep your eye out for any opportunity that might bring your desire to you.

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2. You should loosen up and let unexpected things happen.

Getting out of our comfort zone is difficult for some people. For example, maybe a friend of yours just told you about an awesome investment opportunity. You might not have even been looking to invest any of your money. And if you’re not a risk-taker, you might be tempted to turn it down. But we all know the saying, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” It’s true. So loosen up and warm up to the idea of unexpected opportunities to come your way.

3. You can be outgoing.

Believe it or not, luck often happens through connecting with other people. Maybe you’re looking to change careers. And it’s great to get your resume out on the online job search websites, but there is a chance it might get lost in cyberspace among all of the other people’s resumes. So in addition to doing that, you should start networking. Get yourself out there and go to business meetings. Go to parties. Pass out your business card. Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a new career. We often hear, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” So being a “people person” will definitely bring more luck into your life.

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4. You should be flexible.

Maybe you are a great goal-setter. You have your eye on the prize, and you don’t let anything distract you from getting there. For example, maybe you want to make some extra money, so you start an online business. Meanwhile, people start asking you to speak to their groups and offer to pay you a fee. If you turn down those opportunities, maybe you are not embracing the unexpected. Keep your eyes open to alternatives to your plan. You don’t have to change the plan if you don’t want to, just be flexible and don’t ignore other interesting things that come across your path.

5. You shouldn’t be afraid to fail.

Failing is a part of life. As Thomas Edison said, “I failed my way to success.” Did he invent the light bulb on the first try? Heck no! It took a lot of “failures” for him to figure it out. And while it might seem like movie stars are “lucky,” think about how many times they got rejected before they got their big break. If they had given up, then they wouldn’t appear to be “lucky.” They would be just another starving actor. So put in the effort and accept the fact that success doesn’t happen overnight

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6. You work hard.

Do you think that Donald Trump became a billionaire by sitting around eating bon-bons? Or did Oprah become the most famous woman on the planet by watching soap operas all day? Of course not! Many people look at them and call them “lucky,” but they worked their tails off to get where they are. They embraced opportunities and the possibility of failure. They kept showing up and doing the work required to get where they are. So while they appear to be lucky, they are really just talented, hard workers.

7. You change your thoughts and mindset.

Success starts with you. Luck starts with you. In fact everythingstarts with you. I have two mottos I live by: “Success from the inside – out” and “Change your thinking, change your life.” The reason those are my mottos is because you can’t change your outer world unless you change your inner world. So if you are going around with all sorts of negative thoughts in your head, you will not have the right mindset for creating your own luck. Instead, you need to monitor your negative thoughts and change them into positive ones.

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Creating your own luck doesn’t have to be difficult. If you try to adopt these seven characteristics of “lucky people,” then you will be just fine.

Why To-Do Lists Don’t Work (And How to Change That)

How often do you feel overwhelmed and disorganized in life, whether at work or home? We all seem to struggle with time management in some area of our life; one of the most common phrases besides “I love you” is “I don’t have time”. Everyone suggests working from a to-do list to start getting your life more organized, but why do these lists also have a negative connotation to them?

Let’s say you have a strong desire to turn this situation around with all your good intentions—you may then take out a piece of paper and pen to start tackling this intangible mess with a to-do list. What usually happens, is that you either get so overwhelmed seeing everything on your list, which leaves you feeling worse than you did before, or you make the list but are completely stuck on how to execute it effectively.

To-do lists can work for you, but if you are not using them effectively, they can actually leave you feeling more disillusioned and stressed than you did before. Think of a filing system: the concept is good, but if you merely file papers away with no structure or system, the filing system will have an adverse effect. It’s the same with to-do lists—you can put one together, but if you don’t do it right, it is a fruitless exercise.

Why Some People Find That General To-Do Lists Don’t Work?

Most people find that general to-do lists don’t work because:

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They get so overwhelmed just by looking at all the things they need to do.

They don’t know how to prioritize the items on list.

They feel that they are continuously adding to their list but not reducing it.

There’s a sense of confusion seeing home tasks mixed with work tasks.

Benefits of Using a To-Do List

However, there are many advantages working from a to-do list:

You have clarity on what you need to get done.

You will feel less stressed because all your ‘to do’s are on paper and out of your mind.

It helps you to prioritize your actions.

You don’t overlook so many tasks and forget anything.

You feel more organized.

It helps you with planning.

4 Golden Rules to Make a To-Do List Work

Here are my golden rules for making a “to-do” list work:

1. Categorize

Studies have shown that your brain gets overwhelmed when it sees a list of 7 or 8 options; it wants to shut down.[1] For this reason, you need to work from different lists. Separate them into different categories and don’t have more than 7 or 8 tasks on each one.

It might work well for you to have a “project” list, a “follow-up” list, and a “don’t forget” list; you will know what will work best for you, as these titles will be different for everybody.

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2. Add Estimations

You don’t merely need to know what has to be done, but how long it will take as well in order to plan effectively.

Imagine on your list you have one task that will take 30 minutes, another that could take 1 hour, and another that could take 4 hours. You need to know the moment you look at the task, otherwise you undermine your planning, so add an extra column to your list and include your estimation of how long you think the task will take, and be realistic!

Tip: If you find it a challenge to estimate accurately, then start by building this skill on a daily basis. Estimate how long it will take to get ready, cook dinner, go for a walk, etc., and then compare this to the actual time it took you. You will start to get more accurate in your estimations.

3. Prioritize

To effectively select what you should work on, you need to take into consideration: priority, sequence and estimated time. Add another column to your list for priority. Divide your tasks into four categories:

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Important and urgent

Not urgent but important

Not important but urgent

Not important or urgent

You want to work on tasks that are urgent and important of course, but also, select some tasks that are important and not urgent. Why? Because these tasks are normally related to long-term goals, and when you only work on tasks that are urgent and important, you’ll feel like your day is spent putting out fires. You’ll end up neglecting other important areas which most often end up having negative consequences.

Most of your time should be spent on the first two categories.

4. Review

To make this list work effectively for you, it needs to become a daily tool that you use to manage your time and you review it regularly. There is no point in only having the list to record everything that you need to do, but you don’t utilize it as part of your bigger time management plan.

For example: At the end of every week, review the list and use it to plan the week ahead. Select what you want to work on taking into consideration priority, time and sequence and then schedule these items into your calendar. Golden rule in planning: don’t schedule more than 75% of your time.

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Bottom Line

So grab a pen and paper and give yourself the gift of a calm and clear mind by unloading everything in there and onto a list as now, you have all the tools you need for it to work. Knowledge is useless unless it is applied—how badly do you want more time?